Stop Thinking About Ideas, Start Working On It: Ashish Tulsian Unpluggd With The Misfits

During the recent launch of The Misfits Media, a Delhi-based entrepreneur took the crowd by storm with his inspiring session. Of all the captivating panel discussions and sessions that took place, POSist founder Ashish Tulsian’s session turned out to be an instant hit amongst the students.

His light-hearted and sincere session enthralled the audience to the extent that sudents gathered around him after the session for tips and advices. Some were able to have a one on one session, but few left with a feeling to talk more, know more. So we decided to bring you an exclusive interview that highlights Tulsian’s inspiring entrepreneurial journey.

Ashish: इतना सोचा होता तो शुरू नहीं होता ! (Had I thought so much, I wouldn’t have been able to start).

I started right after my college. The only motivation for me was that I’m a problem solver and a creator (not for problems but coming up with different ideas). Be it a singer, musician or a chef, at the core all of them are creators.

These two factors serve as a motivation for me.

Misfits Media: What are the challenges you faced while starting up?

Ashish: I’ll not say funding as an initial challenge, may be because I wouldn’t risk taking someone else’s money. The most important challenge for me is forming a team. Once you start working, you realize, oh shit! I have 24 hours and just 2 hands. Even today, team is the only challenge for me and 60% of my time goes into hiring.

There’s no particular challenge per se, it’s more like a grid. You learn to figure out things, eventually.

To cut it down simply, the foremost challenges are:

Forming the right team

Finding your first customer

Finding your first paying customer

Funds ( as you expand)

Ensure that you have people around you who’ll understand you and support you unconditionally.

(Because in today’s time support and understanding comes with an asterisk)

Misfits Media: What is the ideal time to raise funds?

Ashish: Honestly, it’s subjective because it all depends from organization to organization.

Don’t raise funds just because someone else is raising or because you want to. Raise it when you genuinely want to raise funds. Raise it when money becomes a hindrance in your journey. Until you hit a roadblock, do not raise funds.

Ideal time to raise funds, as per me, would be when you’re expanding and when you feel that you can ‘throw money’ to buy time. Do not raise for your greed.

Startup is not a robotic programme where you follow a vicious cycle of raising funds. One should take their own call, depending from industry to industry. Screw rules!

Misfits Media: Is college the best time to startup?

Ashish: Yes! Yes! Yes! College is surely the best time to begin with your startup career. It is the zero period of your life, away from financial and social pressures.

Even your customer will forgive your mistake if you’re a student. Though he’ll bang his head later on for being your customer.

Jokes apart, on a global perspective you save time. College life is a bonus. Moreover, on-hand experience is more important than reading old school texts in your classroom. Oh sorry! Did I just say that your generation actually attends these classes? Genuine experience is what you get on the ground. Every professional service is a practice, only that we find B.tech students doing entrepreneurship, which is a glorified form of unemployment.

Misfits Media: One piece of advice for the youth generation which is in college or just starting up?

Ashish: Stop thinking about ideas, start working on it, build a team and work with them. Stop being a student or a job seeker, just work. They talk about work-life balance which is absolutely nonsensical. You work for 12 hours, sleep for 7 hours, 2 hours for your basic necessities, 1 hour for your travel. You’re just left with 2 hours and I don’t call it a life.

One should not find balance in their life, keep juggling and go with the flow.

You have to be at peace with yourself, then only you can lead people. You can have your bad days, but that’s okay.

Ashish loves all those places that cater to his demand for hookah. He loves to hang out at his office itself which is extremely liveable. According to him, office is the place where one spends half of his lifetime, and it should be extremely comfortable. Oh! He’s a big fan of Swiss watches including Rado and Corum to name a few.

Comments

Saloni is an epitome of sarcasm with the right amount of humor in her writing combining with extracts from her personal experiences. She anyday enjoys a cup of hot Americano, good music and she’s a weekend party lover.